§ 7. Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the value and weight of sugar currently held in stockpiles in European Economic Community countries.
§ Mr. Peter WalkerNo sugar is currently held in public intervention stores anywhere in the Community.
§ Mr. WintertonThe whole House will welcome that statement. I welcome it warmly. Does my right hon. Friend accept that the European Community and the United Kingdom historically have a responsibility to certain under-developed parts of the world? Are we not reducing the amount of cane sugar coming to Britain—
§ Mr. Peter MillsNo.
§ Mr. WintertonIndeed we are. In doing so, are we not jeopardising the economy of many developing countries and, as we have heard in many debates, placing good workers in the North-West of England out of work?
§ Mr. WalkerI knew the delight with which my hon. Friend would greet my answer to his question. On the question of the cane sugar contracts traditionally placed in Britain, I am sure that he will welcome the announcement by Tate and Lyle that it has offered contracts for a further five years, and in the same volume, to all the countries mentioned by my hon. Friend.
§ Mr. HawkinsCan my right hon. Friend assure the sugar beet industry that the Government are fully committed to a prosperous beet industry—bringing money to rural areas, both for the haulage industry and for farmers—without which the rural communities would suffer greatly?
§ Mr. WalkerI am well aware of the problems of the sugar beet industry. I regret the announcement this week of a number of closures. As my hon. Friend knows, I decided nearly two years ago to reduce the application of the sugar beet quota by 200,000 tonnes—as opposed to the quota we previously enjoyed—because that was in the interests of a tolerable balance in our market between cane and sugar beet. I have no intention of lowering the quota beyond that which I announced of 1.15 million tonnes.